Josef Kaufmann papers

Josef Kaufmann was born on July 2, 1923, in Baiertal, Germany. He was the middle son of Cesar and Rosa Brig Kaufmann. His older brother, Berthold (b. 1921), was sent to England in 1939 on "Kindertransport," and his younger brother, Sigmund (b. 1929), survived World War II in Switzerland. Josef's parents were deported from Germany to Rivesaltes transit camp in France, and in 1942 they were transferred to Auschwitz concentration camp where they perished. In Oct. 1939 Josef left Germany with "Jugend Aliyah" (Youth Aliyah) for Denmark and a few months later, in Mar. 1941, he traveled to Palestine via Sweden, Finland, the Soviet Union, Turkey, and Lebanon. Josef enrolled in "Yagur" school near Haifa. In Aug. 1942, Josef volunteered for the British Army and spent the next four years serving in Cairo, Egypt. In 1954, Josef Kaufmann settled in Denmark where he currently resides.